IN THIS GUIDE · Test whether a Gold Card lets a logistics owner keep running her Canadian company from the United States
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
State the framework as published and re-verify it
The official page, when checked, described a US$15,000 nonrefundable processing fee per person, vetting, and then a US$1 million gift for an individual principal, with each joining spouse or child adding a further processing fee and a US$1 million gift. A corporate-sponsored route with a larger gift and maintenance and transfer terms also exists and is not this applicant's route. Approved applicants proceed through EB-1 or EB-2. The terms may change; print the page and FAQ on the day they are read and read them again before any money moves. Nothing here replaces the official text.
Confirm admissibility and visa availability before paying
The official framework does not require the applicant to prove an independent conventional EB-1 or EB-2 career profile before paying. Executive Order 14351 instead directs the agencies to treat the gift as evidence of eligibility under EB-1 extraordinary ability or of exceptional business ability and national benefit, including a national-interest waiver, under EB-2. The applicant must still be eligible for lawful permanent residence, admissible, and have a visa available. The right order is to read the current official page, identify any admissibility or visa-availability issue, complete vetting, and re-verify the terms before making the gift.
Ask what permanent residence requires of a cross-border owner
Permanent residence carries an expectation of residing in the United States. An owner who spends most of her time in Saskatchewan running the warehouse risks a finding that residence has been abandoned, and a re-entry permit only partially addresses long absences. U.S. tax residence follows permanent residence and applies to worldwide income, including the Canadian company's dividends, with treaty and reporting consequences that a cross-border accountant must model before she decides. These are not immigration eligibility questions, but they decide whether the plan works.
Keep the gift and any investment separate, and plan the household
The gift is money given with nothing returned. It is not EB-5 capital, creates no jobs and carries no return; if she also considers investing in a U.S. distribution facility, that is a separate decision under separate rules. Her spouse and unmarried children under 21 would each add a processing fee and a gift under the terms as checked, and would be derivatives at the immigrant stage with Child Status Protection Act rules applying. Consult the current USCIS and State Department schedules for immigrant-stage charges. Ask the program in writing about refunds on refusal and later addition of family members.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.